Maryland decriminalization

RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia state senator says it’s time to decriminalize marijuana.

Sen. Adam Ebbin, an Alexandria Democrat, has introduced a bill that would eliminate jail time for possession of the drug and make it punishable by a maximum $100 civil penalty.

The measure would also reduce criminal penalties for distribution.

Ebbin said Thursday at a news conference that criminalization of marijuana has failed. He says it makes nonviolent, regular citizens criminals and burdens Virginia with $67 million in law enforcement costs annually.

The measure faces an uphill battle. The House of Delegates has routinely killed decriminalization bills in the past.

In August, the governor indicated he would support a medical marijuana law if it made it to his desk.

Lawmakers in Maryland have decriminalized simple possession of marijuana.

In neighboring Washington D.C., voters overwhelmingly approved Initiative 71, which would legalize the limited possession and cultivation of marijuana by adults who are 21 or older. That arrangement is still being hashed out, however.

Meanwhile, a marijuana decriminalization bill approved by the D.C. Council and signed by Mayor Vincent Gray took effect in July.

The new law removes all criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana and replaces them with a civil fine of $25.

(Material from The Associated Press and the Marijuana Policy Project was used for this report.)

The state of Maryland plans to issue 15 medical marijuana grower’s licenses, and up to 94 medical marijuana dispensary licenses, according to Evan Barnes of Green Rush Consulting in an article posted by The Daily Chronic.

The Green Rush Consulting site contains easy-to-access links to Maryland’s still evolving regulations, outlining the costs and steps involved in opening a dispensary in Maryland.

On April 14, 2014, the Governor of Maryland signed Senate Bill 923 and House Bill 881 into law. These bills allow medical marijuana growers and dispensaries to open in Maryland to provide medical cannabis to patients who receive written certifications from their physician.

Before these bills were signed into law, Maryland decriminalized the medical use of marijuana for patients and their caregivers, and House Bill 1101 allowed for the investigational use of marijuana for medical purposes at academic medical centers.

However, that program never took off, and it is only with the enactment of SB 923 and HB 881 that Maryland has truly become the 21st state to enact medical marijuana legislation.

Up to $341,000 in startup capital may be required just to pay the application and licensing fees required to start medical marijuana dispensaries or grower facilities in Maryland. Groups applying to become licensed medical marijuana growers will have to pay a total of $6,000 to apply; dispensary applicants will have to pay $5,000. The biennial licensing fee for growers will be $250,000, and the biennial fee

The crowd at the state’s medical marijuana commission meetings in Annapolis on Sept. 9 and Sept. 23 consisted mostly of growers, dispensers and consulting firm representatives who were eager to join the new program. Since September 2013, the 15-member commission has held 15 meetings to discuss details about Maryland’s future medical cannabis industry.

Dispensaries, growers and patients in need of medicinal marijuana are growing more and more restless with each passing commission meeting, reports The Maryland Daily Record.

Distribution of medical marijuana in Maryland is not expected to start until early 2016.

“I can see recreational marijuana being legalized before medical marijuana is finalized in Maryland,” said Judy Pentz, executive director of the state chapter of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). “The commission seems stuck in the reefer madness era.”

Maryland joined 17 other states and the District of Columbia that have decriminalized or legalized marijuana possession.

In addition, Missouri passed a similar bill this year, which will make it the 19th state to do so when it goes into effect.

Senate Bill 364 makes possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $100 for a first offense, up to $250 for a second offense, and up to $500 for subsequent offenses. Third-time offenders and individuals under 21 years of age will be required to undergo a clinical assessment for substance abuse disorder and a drug education program.

“Decriminalization will free up law enforcement officials’ time and allow them to focus on more pressing issues than marijuana possession,” said Major Neill Franklin (Ret.), executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and a 34-year veteran of the Maryland State Police. “It will address some inequalities in our justice system, but, until we fully legalize and regulate marijuana, sales will continue to be conducted by criminals in an underground market. Until that happens, we are not going to see the public safety benefits that are possible in a post-prohibition world.”

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A new law that decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana in Maryland takes effect Wednesday, the Daily Chronic reports.

The bill,Senate Bill 364, will replace the penalty for possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana with a civil fine instead of a criminal offense.

Instead of arrest and a potential 90 day jail sentence under the current law, starting on October 1, 2014, offenders will be issued a fine, the amount of which varies from $100 for a first offense to $250 for a second and $500 for any subsequent offense.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), waspassed in the final hoursof the 2014 legislative session in March.